Canada to release equipment for Russia-Germany gas pipeline

The Canadian government says it will allow the delivery to Germany of equipment from a key Russia-Europe natural gas pipeline that has undergone maintenance _ equipment the absence of which Russia's Gazprom cited last month as a reason for more than halving the flow of gas.

The return of turbines from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline sent to Montreal for a scheduled overhaul has been complicated by sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine. Canada's minister of natural resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, said in a statement late Saturday that "Canada will grant a time-limited and revocable permit for Siemens Canada to allow the return of repaired Nord Stream 1 turbines to Germany.''

That, Wilkinson said in the statement posted on Twitter, will support ``Europe's ability to access reliable and affordable energy as they continue to transition away from Russian oil and gas.'' He said that ``absent a necessary supply of natural gas, the German economy will suffer very significant hardship.''
Siemens Energy said after Gazprom started reducing gas flows in mid-June that it had been unable to return a gas turbine that powers a compressor station on the pipeline, which had been overhauled after more than 10 years in service, to the customer, Gazprom.

German politicians have dismissed the Russian explanation for the 60% reduction in gas flows through Nord Stream 1, saying that equipment shouldn't have been a significant issue until the fall and the Russian decision was a political gambit to sow uncertainty and push up prices.
The Canadian move comes before Nord Stream 1 is due to shut down for annual maintenance on Monday. In previous summers, the work led to a roughly 10-day shutdown, but German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has said he...